Bob Uecker was a baseball man. However he liked golf, too

Ed. be aware: Bob Uecker, who died Thursday at 90, was many issues to many individuals. Possibly you knew him because the beloved voice of the Milwaukee Brewers. Possibly you bear in mind him from his position within the “Main League” movies (“Juuuust a bit outdoors”). Or perhaps you related him because the man from the Miller Lite commercials or for his stint on the favored 80s sitcom, “Mr. Belvedere.”

Uecker, or “Ueck” as he was usually referred to as, was at the very least one different factor, too: a golfer. He took up the sport when he performed for the Milwaukee Braves within the Nineteen Sixties, and whittled his handicap all the way down to a few 12.

In 2020, GOLF’s Chris Nashawaty spoke to Uecker about his golf ardour, and way more. That interview is reprinted beneath.

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GOLF: You’re 86. When did you begin enjoying golf?

BOB UECKER: Approach again after I was enjoying professional baseball, my teammate, Clete Boyer, and I used to exit throughout the low season. It was fairly irritating at first. The ball’s sitting up on a tee and I’d hit it out of bounds, or hook it or hit a grounder. It’s not such as you’ve obtained some man throwing a pitch 100 miles an hour at you. You possibly can swing and miss that. That’s comprehensible. However once you swing at a ball that’s laying on the bottom and no one’s speaking, there’s actually no excuse.

Possibly you simply wanted hecklers, like on the ballpark…

Possibly! I assume I would like individuals screaming obscenities about me and my household, like after I was catching within the huge leagues.

Are you any good? What’s the bottom your handicap has been?

I obtained to a few 13, a 12. I don’t hit the ball far anymore. I imply, I might put a stick of dynamite in my driver and I nonetheless may solely hit it 200 yards, however I don’t care. It’s a little embarrassing, although, when someone catches me hitting from the children’ tees in the course of the green.

What’s the most effective golf tip you’ve ever obtained?

To place my golf equipment away.

You completed your main league profession with a .200 batting common. Are you somewhat relieved that you just didn’t get yet another at bat?

I by no means paid a lot consideration to that stuff. I did handle to hit 14 house runs in my profession, although, and a few them off Corridor of Famers. Once I see Sandy Koufax, I all the time apologize to him as a result of I believed which may hold him out of the Corridor of Fame.

You had been on The Tonight Present with Johnny Carson 65 instances. Why did you guys hit it off so properly?

I don’t know, as a result of he might by no means make me chortle. We had been good pals. And none of it was scripted or deliberate. He requested me one evening if I wanted the notes that had been on his desk. And I mentioned, “No, I believed they had been for you!”

You ad-libbed most of your traces within the film Main League as properly, proper?

Yeah, the director advised me, “Say no matter you need to say; use your personal stuff.” So issues like “Juuust a bit outdoors” had been off the cuff. “Ball eight,” “Ball 9” — all of that stuff.

May Charlie Sheen actually convey the warmth because the Wild Factor?

Charlie was good! All I needed to do was watch him wind up and I knew. He might actually throw!

How a lot enjoyable had been these Miller Lite commercials to shoot within the ’80s? I imply, you, Billy Martin, Rodney Dangerfield, John Madden…

It was like per week of madness with all these guys. Rodney was once late to the shoots quite a bit. I did one with [Boston Celtics coach] Tommy Heinsohn, the place we had been each searching for Halley’s Comet, which comes as soon as each hundred years. We had been on a mountain prime, and I began speaking to him about, “Now could be a good time for a Miller Lite.” So I bend all the way down to get the Miller Lite and I missed Halley’s Comet.

Not lots of people also can say that they’ve been choked by Andre the Big of their careers…

Yeah, whereas I used to be asserting Wrestlemania. He scared the crap out of me. He did that on his personal. He was simply alleged to rant and rave and discuss Hulk Hogan, after which hastily he began choking me! It was enjoyable…I assume.

You’ve been the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers ceaselessly. How unusual was it for opening day to come back and go this yr with out baseball?

That is going to be my fiftieth yr with the Brewers, and my sixty fifth yr total in baseball. It’s what I do. It’s the place I’m alleged to be. So it’s unhappy.

What do you assume will occur?

We’re going to finally begin up once more, however it can in all probability be with out individuals within the stands. Now, I don’t care in the event you’re a baseball participant or Tiger Woods, gamers feed off of the adrenaline of the followers. To consider enjoying baseball in an empty stadium, it simply doesn’t appear proper.

Effectively, hopefully we’ll get baseball again quickly and we see you again within the sales space.

I’m hoping so, too. Thanks, pal.